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| All hands are needed to achieve real development |
The best way to truly describe Isuikwuato Local Government Area (LGA) to anybody is to designate it for what it really is; the eye of Abia State.
Further investigation by the reader will reveal that Abia is an acronym standing now for: A – Arochukwu, B – Bende, I – Isuikwuato and A – Aba. When Abia state was created in 1991, the first alphabet in the name represented Afikpo, now in Ebonyi state and currently the capital. A careful reader of this piece can now trace though partially, the link or origin of Isuikwuato as the eye of Abia state. Other factors abound but would surface in due course to buttress or strengthen this fac, as there are numerous sources to point at, but surely are beyond the scope of this piece.
By real development, I make bold to emphasize that such a development occurs in an environment where the people understand and underscore, ultimately the fact that development is a seed planted and nurtured together, no matter who attracted or bought the seed. All that is constantly required of everybody in the environment to achieve real development is a communal spirit. This is reflected through genuine love and care, commitment and collective participation to grow the seed of development into a tree of prosperity that is guided and targeted strategically, structurally and systematically to benefit and shade all in that society.
After the seed of development has grown into a prosperity tree, the collective action centered on nurturing should not stop because the seed has grown into a tree. As a matter of fact, this is when even more attention and care should be given to the seed to ensure that nobody is abandoned, short-changed or cheated or left out in the sharing of the prosperity output of the seed.
Let us therefore, consider development in the context of this discussion as constant improvement in the daily lives of the people of Isuikwuato LGA. This will include improvement in their means of income or livelihood, attracting or bringing better or enhanced opportunities closer to the people and improved goods and services, as well as introducing facilities that will enhance their well-being and prosper them.
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| AVM Chinwendu Onyeike, Chairmman/Mayor Isukwuato Local Council |
Our context of development covers giving proper attention to improvement in road infrastructure in the different wards and villages in Isuikwuato LGA, without ignoring any, enhanced education system, with more emphasis on building the skillset of the child with quality infrastructure and monitoring closely the schools. Similarly, healthcare and related infrastructure facilities that will benefit the people must be pursued with vigour.
To do the above successfully, involvement of the various local community leaders and supporting them to succeed in every given assignment is highly necessary. This will help a great deal in spotting and resolving early the little, little challenges that exist in the villages that gradually snowball into something very difficult to manage. Most of the time such challenges are allowed and they fester over a long period of time.
Local leaders must be recognized and deployed as community influencers; and their roles actively reinforced. The authorities must integrate them as organic part of the governance system in Isuikwuato LGA. Ability to speak the English language fluently as a criterion for choosing who emerges as a leader in the villages though important may not always be necessary or relevant.
The ability of a person to serve as a positive influencer should be uppermost and in most cases supersede other considerations. Where a positive influencer is also fluent speaker of the English Language, the benefits are more, however the weight should always be on who is a better positive influencer than who speaks the foreign language.
In a nutshell development is represented by access to good roads, good education and people oriented and impact driven healthcare services, security of life and property, easy and uninhibited access to the rural markets, availability of at least the minimal expected facilities in rural markets and committed efforts at upgrading the facilities. It equally means access to clean water, with focus on the minimum required water usage, especially drinking water by individuals by day, regular supply of electricity without reaping the people off in the name of estimated billing, instead of metering the people.
Development in the context of this piece will also include introducing to the people of Isuikwuato LGA new skills, new ways of doing old things and approaches to value additions to existing goods and service. Support and motivation and equally opening of doors by those in governance and leadership positions for new ideas and making provisions for resource support and creating programmes that encourage people to carry out experiments.
It is not only money that people need to develop, even in business. There are cases that require psycho-social support, not only in moments of death and funerals, and other forms of celebrations. Creative and innovative people pass through a lot. It is expected that authorities at the local government will brace up to this reality, and set up the right machinery to identify and provide this all import service whenever it is needed. The impact on building the people and positioning them for development can never be overemphasized. Of a truth real development activities help the people living in the present to build a better future for themselves and their children.
Real development requires behavioural changes by all and sundry. Embracing new ideas and seeking news ways to advance the people are parts of it. Accepting and mastering new technologies and working with them, but more importantly seeking ways to improve local technologies and deploying them for better use will also be of huge benefit to the collective efforts to develop the LGA.
Participating actively in community decision-making processes, planning meetings and execution activities, as well as taking ownership and personal responsibility to protect development projects in the LGA, and ensuring that they are functional and being put to use for good purposes and are deployed for the reasons that they were built are other ways of contributing to the development of LGA.
The need to adopt healthy habits and promote sanitation practices that are of help to all in the LGA, rather than indulge in those that endanger the life of some people and are of benefit to others.
All without exception are expected to engage in legal income yielding activities and to also conduct the activities legally, without reaping other people off, and to always canvass for development and improvement activities in the LGA at all times and to do the needful also.
I am unflinching, unwavering and unrelenting, since I harbour no trepidations of any kind in my conclusion that:
Isuikwuato LGA will witness massive and astronomical development if majority of the citizens and other residents adopt positive attitudes, some of which are already in the front burner considering that they have been mentioned in this piece. Issues of improvement in the livelihood and well-being of the people: enhanced social and economic life and status, increased access to new opportunities, new resources and support systems that are required to build a brighter future for all will be achieved.
By Nnabugwu Chizoba
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